Improved machine for separating and dressing ores



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE TRUMBULL, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

IMPaovED MACHINE Foa SPABATINGAND DRESSING 4onli-s'.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38.773, dated June?, 1863.

To LZ-Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE TRUMBULL,

-of Jersey City, in they county ot' Hudson and State. of-Newl Jersey, have invented anew and Improved Machine tor Separating and Dressing Metallic Ores andeother Minerals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

reference bein ghad to the accompanying drawings, making a part ofgtthis specification, in

which- Figure 1 represents aside elevation of my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same, taken in the line c a', Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical central section of the same,

taken in the line y y, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a rear.

view of the same; Fig. 5, a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line z z, Fig. 2 Fig.

6, a horizontal sectiony of a portion of the ma.l chine ona larger scale, taken in Vthe line z a',

Fig. 2. l

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in constructing a machine for separating or dressing ores in suchanianner that a body ot' water may be suddenly impelled upward at suitable intervals throughout the whole-extent of a bed of ground ore restingona sieve, so as to raise and loosen the mass and allow the heavier particles to settle to the bottom or to pass through the same. The box or sieve containing the ore or other material to be operated upon remains stationary. By this arrangement, as will be hereinafter shown, a more perfect,

, rapid, and thorough separation is effected.

To enable those skilled in the art to full-y understand and construct my invention', I will proceed to describe it. v

A represents a box or tank of wood or metal, and of any suitable size or shape. The tank shown in the drawings is of oblon g rectangular form. The tank should be perfectlywatertight, and at its sides there are placed indiarnbber disks B B of considerable area, and iso arranged that they may have a motion inward and outward, so as to alternately elevate and depress` the water contained in the tank. These disks B B have a sudden lor rapid m0- tion when elevating the water, and a slow movement as'they return to admit of the' water falling. Thedisks BB may be operated to effect this result by a variety of mechanical ]contrivances, one of which is described as fol' ows:

C C are cam-wheels, (clearly shown in Fig. 6,) having two projections or prominences, a. a., which act against a friction-roller, D, turning lfreely in bearings in a plate, E, which is fitted gto slide in another plate, F. V This plate F is @rigidly-connected with the rubber disks B by 'means of rods b, sliding in cross-bars c, secured lto the sides of the tank A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The rods b are provided with rubber or steel springs G. Adjustable nuts d are 'fitted upon the rods b, so as to compress the springs G against the cross-bars c, and render ithem capable of adjustment to yany required power. The crossbars c serve asstops to prevent the springs Gforcingthe disks B beyond 5the required distance inward into the tank A. The plates Fare provided with set-screws H, by means of .which theplatealimwhich the rollers D work, are adjusted relatively to the cam-wheels C. I is a box, which is fitted inside of the tank A, and has its bottom covered with a wire cloth or netting, e, of suitable fine- ,f ness, the said.bottom .being supported above and below by a strong grating, e', to prevent its being broken by the weight of the material upon it or by jars.

The box 1 is to contain the ore that is to be operated upon, and it may be so constructed that its depth can be varied according to the nature of the material it is to contain, or the nicety of separation required. 1

J J are outlets at the bottom of the tank for drawing off the water and dressed ore.

The ore may be fed into the box I by a flow of water, carrying the ore with it onto the rear of the bed, or by hand, or by means of a pipe which is made to project below the surface ofV the water to varying depths, as may be desired.

The operation is as follows: 'lhe tank A is filled with water by means of apipe, K, leading from an elevated reservoir, and the ore, which is a little coarser than the ineshesof the netting c, is spreadv over the saine in box I to a depth of several inches. rlhe mechanism which operates the disks B B is now set in motion, and by its action on the disks causesv -a vibrating motion of the water, which, inthe manner herein described, is .comparatively slow. The projections a a on the cam-wheels C C press against the rollers D, and `as th canrwheelsjrelease" the disks 'they are suddenly forced back by' the springs G, by which motion the ore within the box Iis at frequent intervals raised and lowered to allow the heavier p uticles to settle to the bottom and pass thri ugh the sieve or nettinge, while the lighter particles rise to the surface and pass oi through the outletL. V"Ihefeed .ot ore1 lis now. conimenced, and continued either at stated intervals or by a constant tlow, and water is introduced into the tank A through the pipe I( to take the place of that which passes off with thedressed orc through the outlets J J.

When the tank A'cannot be supplied with water under static pressure, it may be forced into the tank b v means of a pump.V i

When very ice work is required, or valuable ores are to be operated upon, a series of machines may Vbells d,'the second taking the washed ore from the first and the third from 1heseeond, and so on untilthe ore is thorou ghly cleansed or separated from impurities. As the work progresses, the heavy portions of orel or material `to be operated upon will be found to have settled to the bottom of` the tank A or to have passed through, and the lighter'or sandy portions will have ilowed away from the surface, as described. Either portion can then be conveyed to tanks oreisl 'ferns and allowed to settle, and it may be consequently reworked, ifconsidered to heot'suliicient value.

I would remark that the cam-wheels C C may be operated by shafts a', the upper ends vof which are connected by Vbevel-gears b with a horizontal shaft, A', having a cone pulley, B', upon it, around which the driving-belt.

ypasscs. The speed of the earns may be'varii d as desired by shifting the belt on the conepulley.

e I dok not claim, broadly, the separation of ores by the agitation -of the .water in which they are washed nor do I claim anything that exists in the patent granted to A. W. Schell, March 10, 1863; but, Y

Having thus described. my invention, what y I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isg p 1. Giving to the water a sudden rising movenien t, followed by a slowly-talling motion through the ore, substantially as herein shown and described. l'

\ 2. The disks B B, arranged `and operated by the cam-wheels C and springs G, incombination with the tank A, ore-box I', and sieve or netting e, as and for the purpose set forth.'

, HGRACE TRUMBULIJ'.

Witnesses: Y

M. S. IARTRIDGE,

DANiEL ROBERTSON. 

